//------------------------------//
// The Time of Peace 
// Story: Last of the Dragonlords: The Burning Building 
// by Servant Phoenix 
//------------------------------//

	"Thank you for the offer Applejack, but I really need to get back to my cottage. My animals also need feeding you know," Fluttershy said with a small smile. Fluttershy and Applejack were walking towards the house in Sweet Apple Acres after a few hours of work around the apple trees.

"I know." Applejack nodded. "Sorry, but I forgot about your animals. However, if ya want, ya can come around later for a snack or something."

"Thank you, Applejack. I think I'll come back during the afternoon. Have a nice lunch!"

"See ya later, sugarcube!" 

With that, the two ponies parted their ways. Applejack trotted back to her house, and with a last wave of goodbye towards the pegasus, she went inside. 

Nine months passed since the defeat of Heimdallr, the destroyer of nations. The life for most ponies went back to normal in Ponyville. Or at least, mostly. Fluttershy and her five friends went through things that leave no soul intact. The crowns that they once got from Freya, the Queen of Horsca, found different fates amount the six friends. While most of the girls put them away as a souvenir, Rainbow Dash has put it on a shelf. This made it easy to see for anypony who came into her house. This is despite that fact that she didn't have many visitors. Rarity suggested Fluttershy to wear her golden crown on a daily basis, to compensate her scars in her appearance, but Fluttershy quickly dismissed the idea, as the last thing she wanted was more attention. 

Fluttershy chuckled as she remembered Rarity's idea. Wearing the crown all day. That rather sounds like what Rarity should do, Fluttershy thought. She wondered why Rarity didn't do so, as her silver crown matched her coat perfectly. Maybe even Rarity knows some limits, maybe...

The soul that was most touched was Fluttershy's of course. Turning from being the timidest pony into the greatest warrior on Terra was something she wished she could get rid of. However, she couldn't, and whenever these thoughts came, they dismissed them that she wouldn't. My friends... no, my family would be in danger. Even if we didn't release Heimdallr, he would have hunted us down and killed us with mind controlled dragons. I'm happy that I'm a Dragonlord, for them. However, she sighed as she was trotting back to her cottage. The adventure was over, and it was still the time of healing, both mentally and physically. Her back never healed completely, nor her scar on her face. Ponies sometimes gave her weird looks when she passed by them, which made her think about new routes to her daily routine, to avoid them. What is the point of me being the Dragonlord now? I have nothing to fight. Not that I wish for it, but still... It feels like a burden that I have to carry.

Then she remembered her dragon friend's, Vidarr's warning: You will have to take up arms once again to defend your friends and their loved ones. Fluttershy shuddered at the idea. The last time she took up arms, she did something she never intended nor wanted. She killed. Although, she did it by accident and to save her father, she never forgot what she did that day. Is that all being a Dragonlord? Having dangerous adventures and killing? Why I can't be something more peaceful, like... a Butterflylord. She laughed at the idea. It would be so nice, just flying all around with butterflies, singing with them, helping them pollen flowers. Then she realized that she was already doing that. Hm... maybe I would have some abilities, like I have as a Dragonlord. Maybe I could make flowers bloom faster or...

Her train of thoughts was broken when she heard a scream from the other side of the town. She jerked her head to the direction of the scream and gasped as she saw a huge cloud of smoke coming up from the northern part of Ponyville. She changed her direction and started galloping towards the smoke. She saw other ponies also moving towards the direction of the possible fire as she continued moving forward. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was not the library that was on fire, but her curiosity and worry towards her other friends made her move past the hollow tree.

That was when she saw it. A two-story high wooden building, burning with flames reaching towards the skies. Several ponies were gathered in front of it, watching as the flames was eating up the building what once was called a home. She glared at them angrily, as they were just standing there. She stopped glaring however, when she realized why. There were no pegasi among the ponies, as they were collecting rain clouds to extinguish the fire. She glanced up and saw a pegasus appearing with a small cloud then leaving as fast as he could.  There were already small clouds next to the smoke that was flying towards the sky. However, the clouds were too little, and they had to collect a lot more to even hope that the rain would be enough to stop the inferno below them. I wish I could help them, Fluttershy thought. Her wings were still not strong enough to fly around and collect clouds from other areas of Equestria. She could hover, and fly around Ponyville, but that was all she could manage so far. 

One of the ponies screamed again. Fluttershy glanced at the voice and saw an earth pony mare, laying on the ground with tears in her eyes. The mare was dark orange, with a purple mane that hung down on the two sides of her head in knots. Fluttershy felt her heart break at the devastated mare. This must have been her home. She wanted to go to her and comfort her, yet she couldn't bring herself to it. She didn't know this pony at all, and she knew that walking to her will also attract the other's attention. However, she couldn't help herself. This pony is in great need now, and that's more important than me fearing from attention. She walked to the young mare. The pony was still crying, and Fluttershy caught a word coming out of her mouth several times. The word was 'sunshine'. 

When Fluttershy stepped to her, the mare noticed her shadow, and looked up with her turquoise eyes. Fluttershy looked into her eyes and tried to say something that might comfort her. She sat down next to her, and put her hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for your house," that was all what she could say, yet she felt really awkward doing it. She didn't even know this mare, she didn't know what she lost in that fire.

The mare looked away from Fluttershy and sniffed. "I wish I only lost my house," she said. Her last scream and her sobbing took away her strength and she could hardly speak. "I wish I lost anything, but my little sweetheart."

Fluttershy gasped when the realization came through her mind. She glanced at the house. The flames were becoming bigger and bigger, and the building was near to collapsing. 

The mare continued, "I wish brought her with me to work. I wish I..."

"MOMMY!" came a scream from inside the building. 

The mother's eyes went open, and she jumped on her hooves. "SUNSHINE!" she yelled towards the building. She was gasping and was near to the thought of jumping into the flaming building to save her daughter, which most probably would have caused both of them to die by either the immense heat, or the building collapsing on their heads. 

Fluttershy's eyes were wide open in shock. Oh, no, no, no! There is a young filly inside! Where is Rainbow Dash?  She was glancing around. She knew where she was, probably rushing around with her incredible speed to collect more and more clouds. She was glancing to the other ponies, to see if any of them would be brave enough to go in and help the filly in danger, when she remembered something from nine months ago. 





"Jeg sverger at jeg vil hjelpe de som er i nød eller de som ikke kan beskytte seg. Dette er drageherrenes vei, og jeg er en drageherre," (I swear I will help those in need, and those that cannot protect themselves. That is the Dragonlords way, and I am a Dragonlord,) Fluttershy finished her oath, standing in the fire of Vidarr. 





Fluttershy shook her head, then looked at the building, with determination crawling across her face. She stepped forward, then once more, then she started walking, then trotting, and before anypony could have said anything she ran into the nearly collapsing building. 

She stepped into the ground floor, that was already burning in fire. The flames touched Fluttershy's coat, but left her unharmed. She perked her ear up and tried to filter out the crackles of fire to find the filly in the building. She glanced up to the ceiling. I've lost my mind. The building will fall on us, and we'll both die. Yet, she shook her head. Concentrate Fluttershy, you have survived worse than this. You have faced a burning dragon. 

A shriek came from upstairs. Fluttershy jerked her head up, and quickly rushed up on the stairs, jumping over a few burning beams. Fluttershy found herself in a corridor on the second floor, with doors both sides. "Sunshine! Where are you!" Fluttershy yelled. She raised her voice very rarely, but the adrenalin in her system made tense enough to do so. 

"I'm here," came a muffled sound from the end of the corridor. Fluttershy ran to the end and tried to open the last door with her mouth. The door was locked. 

"Open the door!" Fluttershy yelled.

"I can't!" came a cry from inside that was shaking with fear. "There is fire everywhere!"

Fluttershy backed from the door. Could I buck this down? thought she while she was breathing fast. Maybe a year ago, she could not have. However, now she was a Dragonlord, she remembered. She had a much stronger body. She quickly turned and bucked the door with all her might. The door cracked and broke in pieces as the pegasus kicked it. She rushed in and spotted her. A small yellow earth pony filly with blue mane was sitting in the corner at the other side of the room, shaking. Fluttershy ran next to her, through the flames and stood over her. She forced a smile on her face when she looked into the blue eyes of the filly, who was staring at her with mixed fear and awe. "It's okay now," Fluttershy said. "I'm Fluttershy. I'll bring you out of here." 

However, she had no idea how to. Yes, she was fireproof, but the filly obviously wasn't, and the way she came through was already burning in high flames. She glanced at the windows, but the windows were too small to squeeze any of them out of the building. Suddenly, an idea came into her mind. She ran to the nearest flame and put her hoof into it. She smiled as the flame ran around her hoof, not willing to touch her mane. She ran back to the filly who was still staring at her with confusion as how Fluttershy was undamaged by the fire. Fluttershy looked into her eyes and asked, "Sunshine, I have a plan to bring you out, but you must trust me. Do you trust me, Sunshine?"

The filly gulped, but nodded. 

"Good," Fluttershy said with a smile. She reared up on her hind legs, towering over the young filly. Fluttershy stepped back as she stabilized herself in a bipedal stance. "Please, I need you to jump on me, I'll catch you don't worry." She spread her front hooves. 

Sunshine looked at her in fear. She tried moving towards the pegasus, but her fear was paralyzing her. "I can't, my legs do not move!"

"Be brave, Sunshine! Not just for yourself, but for your mother! She is waiting for you outside. Please," Fluttershy pleaded as the filly still stayed in one place. She didn't want to die here either. 

Sunshine clenched her eyes and after a few painful seconds, she stepped forward. Then backwards, and suddenly broke into a run and jumped on Fluttershy. The pegasus could hardly keep her balance, but managed. She caught Sunshine with her front hooves, then folder her wings around her as tightly as she could. "If you feel anything burning, just scream." With that, Fluttershy began walking outside the room on her two hooves, watching for every step. Suddenly, her ear twitched as she heard cracking over her, and jumped forward. A flaming beam just came down behind her, nearly crushing both of them. She almost fell, but still kept her balance. She quickly hurried down on the corridor and down on the stairs. 

The building began to shake as the main structure was giving up on its own weight. Fluttershy was stepping through the flames and felt the young filly in her hooves was shaking in fear. She aimed for the exit and charged towards it as she would have charged in a battle. Objects were falling around her, but she kept running. However, even though she was fireproof, she still needed oxygen to breath, and the room was lack of it, making her suffocate while she tried to both run and not trip on the burning objects scattered around. Her body was giving up, screaming for oxygen. She was just a few feet away from the door, but she felt she would faint. She didn't stop. With an extreme effort, and a determination on her face, she continued walking towards the door, every step bringing pain through her whole body. The door was burning in flames, but flames never stopped the Dragonlord. She stepped through the doors, and into the streets of Ponyville. 

The ponies around gasped, as they saw the yellow pegasus stepping through the fires. Fluttershy stepped a few more, then opened her wings. The young filly was blinded for a second from the sudden sunlight, then gasped as she spotted her mother. 

"MOMMY!" Sunshine squeaked in joy, jumped down from Fluttershy's hooves and galloped to her mother, who also moved towards her, and caught her in a big hug. 

Fluttershy smiled at the scene in front of her, then closed her eyes, and collapsed on the ground. 





"Is she gonna be alright?" asked somepony, that Fluttershy could recognize, as her senses were coming back to her

Fluttershy moaned.

"Fluttershy!" multiple ponies cried out. Fluttershy opened her eyes, and saw Rainbow Dash, hovering over her, with a wide smile on her face. Fluttershy tried to sit up, but was quickly pushed back by a cyan-blue hoof. "No, you stay there! No movements!" 

Fluttershy moaned, but didn't try again. Instead, she turned her head to left and saw all of her friends, smiling at her in relief. She also saw two other ponies, Sunshine and her mother standing next to them. She smiled at them. "Are you all right?" 

The mare nodded. "We are, thanks to you." 

The door of the hospital room opened and the doctor came in. "Ah, Miss Firewing, good to see that you're awake," he said. 

Twilight Sparkle turned to the doctor. "I guess we have to leave now," she said as her ears flattened.

"Oh, don't worry Miss Sparkle, Miss Firewing will be alright. I would say that tomorrow night she'll be able to walk home, thanks to her surprisingly fast regeneration."

"That's fantastic!" Pinkie Pie cried out. "I'm gonna make a 'Thank you Fluttershy for saving Sunshine and not dying' party tomorrow night!"

The doctor frowned. "Miss Pie, I don't think she should take part of such an activity for a few days. She still needs rest."

Pinkie Pie's mouth curved down. "Aww..." Then she lit up again. "I'll schedule it for next week then!"

Fluttershy smiled at her friend. "I'm looking forward to it, Pinkie." 

After a few seconds, the doctor spoke up, "As Miss Sparkle noticed, this is the end of the visiting hours, so I would like to ask all of you to leave Miss Firewing rest in order to help her heal faster."

"No way I'm leaving here in this state!" Rainbow Dash stated. 

"It's okay, Dash. I'll be fine. We'll talk tomorrow," Fluttershy said quietly.

She wanted to protest, but then looked at Fluttershy's reassuring smile. The cyan pegasus sighed.  "See you then tomorrow, Fluttershy!"

The others also said their goodbyes and left the room one by one. Sunshine and her mother gave thanks one more time to Fluttershy, then closed the door behind them. After the door was closed, she rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling of the room. Maybe it's not useless to be a Dragonlord when there is no evil dragon threatening to kill everyone. Maybe I can help and protect, without hurting and killing others. She then remembered Vidarr again. I hope I can learn during these years, how to live as a Dragonlord in the time of peace, before I have to take arms again.

However, the hammerfall on Equestria came earlier than she wanted. 


THE END